If you're a parent, Halloween has to be the scariest time of the year. Your little ghouls and goblins are a-gobblin' all kinds of sugary treats, all chock-full of high-fructose corn syrup, dyes and other artificial ingredients. If it were only one night I wouldn't care, but these days Halloween goes on All. Month. Long.

Don't get me wrong, I love Halloween. I love the costumes, the decorations, the parties. I even love the treats. Just not too many of them. So I try to balance out all the sugar my kids get throughout October with fruit, cheese and other nutritious, filling snacks.

And when I found out about Clif Kids organic, all-natural Spooky S'mores ZBars, I knew it was the perfect candidate to scare the sugar monsters away from my kids. When I reviewed Clif Kid ZBars and Twisted Fruit, the Spooky S'mores variety wasn't available yet, but they were kind enough to send me some samples so I could review them in time for Halloween.

The BasicsNationwide, Organic ZBaR is the number one kid's snack bar. ZBaRs are a flavor favorite of kids and are made from all natural ingredients including rolled oats, blueberries, chocolate chips and more. What Parents like about the ZBaR is its nutrition value: they include the right blend of protein, carbohydrates and fiber that work together to balance kids' energy levels without crashing. ZBaRs are basically snack bars modeled after what parents would bake at home for their kids, if they had time of course.

Clif Kids reinvents that campfire classic into a healthful energy bar that’s low fat and chockfull of whole-grain oats, fiber, and 12 essential vitamins and minerals. Free of hydrogenated oils, artificlal flavors and colors, high fructose corn syrup, and preservatives, this limited-edition kids’ 130-calorie energy bar bursts with flavor from certified-organic ingredients such as figs, honey, chocolate chips, cocoa butter, and flaxseed, which should satisfy the sweetest of sweet tooths without morphing into a nutritional nightmare.

The BonggaYou don't need to resort to any tricks to get your kids eating these treats. First of all, they look great. Just from looking at the wrapper, with its orange-and-brown Halloween color scheme, the cartoon haunted house and trick-or-treating kids printed on it, my kids were convinced this was going to be something yummy and fun to eat (of course, the fact that it's a ZBar probably convinced them they'd like it even without seeing it). Once you see the bar, it actually looks like something you want to put in your mouth, with lots of swirly patterns in chocolate and caramel. They look like little yummy pastry bars, so instead of saying "Eww, gross, health food!", your kids will say "Oooh, a treat!". Best of all (for kids, anyway), they're really yummy! I wouldn't say they taste like s'mores, more like an energy bar that reminds me of s'mores, but I really like them and the kids do too. Of course, it goes without saying that these Spooky S'mores are as healthy as all the other ZBars, so I'm happy to pass these out at Halloween parties and give them to the kids to munch on before they head off to trick-or-treat.

The BlahThe only bad thing I can say about these bars are that they are only available for a limited time. As the ghosts say, BOO! Guess who's going to be haunting our local Whole Foods and REI, waiting for them to stock up on Spooky Smores ZBars so she can stock up for the rest of the year?

The Bottom LineClif Kids Spooky Smores ZBars stand out among all the seasonal candy and junk food. They're are a delicious way to get something good into your kids during this month of tricks and treats, so get them now before they disappear into the Halloween night!

Disclosure: I received complimentary product samples from Clif Kids to review . I was not paid to review the product or give my opinions. Product information is provided by the featured company/product and is clearly indicated as such. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

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